PM's dementia adviser quits over benefits clawback policy

One of the prime minister's dementia champions has quit in protest over the treatment of disabled people.

Johnny Timpson, who was the UK's inaugural disability ambassador, said clawing back benefits overpayments was "devastating" for families.

He was shocked by the case of a 92-year-old with dementia, who was reportedly told to repay £7,000 by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The DWP said it was committed to fairness in the welfare system.

Mr Timpson spoke to the BBC ahead of the work and pensions committee grilling disabilities minister Mims Davies and the DWP's director of fraud, error and debt strategy Vikki Knight.

The pair are expected to face questions over thousands of cases of clawbacks, particularly from those who are unpaid carers.

Mr Timpson said an overly complex benefits system that relied on people realising they had been overpaid was at the root of the problem.

He said: "When you're dealing with someone in your household who's got dementia… that's a big heavy caring ask, so that carer has a lot going on in their life.

"The last thing that they're probably able to get their head around is the complexity of their benefit entitlement."

Overpayments were being allowed to continue for years, he said, and with carers often having to give up work, "they no longer have the savings or the means to maybe repay these debts".

Mr Timpson said every organisation has a duty to identify its vulnerable customers and intervene to prevent harm but the government was "out of step with all other regulated sectors in the UK".

"It's within the gift of the DWP to intervene and help them," he said. "One of the key things about having a vulnerable customer policy is using your data to ensure you know your customer, identifying a potential harm and intervening quickly before a drama becomes a crisis."

He said the number of these cases "really hit home" to him and highlighted how allowing families to get into financial crisis also has a knock-on impact on the public purse.

"I was quite gobsmacked at the amount of GP time that's already taken up with financial health issues," he said. "It's about 20% of appointments."

He called on the government to appoint a disabilities commissioner and suggested separating welfare payments from the DWP's current portfolio altogether.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who has been a carer for most of his life, said Mr Timpson's resignation showed the current treatment of unpaid carers is "scandalous".

"Ministers should value and support our wonderful carers, not treat them like criminals," he said.

"They must fix the flawed and failing Carer's Allowance system as an urgent priority."

A DWP spokesperson said Carer's Allowance had increased since 2010 and additional funding has been made available to support the social care sector.

"We are committed to fairness in the welfare system, with safeguards in place for managing repayments, while protecting the public purse," they said.

"Claimants have a responsibility to consistently inform DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award, and it is right that we recover taxpayers' money when this has not occurred."